"Sorry for being me, I don't know how to be anyone else" - Spike Milligan

Friday, 17 May 2013

A bit of lippy

It's funny how lipstick has fallen in and out of fashion over the centuries. Nowadays it's so normal that most women wear it regularly and around 25% of women wouldn't leave the house without it. But it wasn't always that popular.

Lipstick was common in ancient Egypt, Greece and Rome, but as Christianity took hold in Europe in the 4th century it was seen as irreligious and rapidly banished. The Catholic Church condemned cosmetics, linking red lipstick with Satanic worship.

Then it returned in the 16th century when Queen Elizabeth I ignored religious scruples and inspired the fashion of a white face and garishly painted lips.

But lipstick fell out of favour again in the 18th century, increasingly seen as gawdy and vulgar and relegated to lower-status women like actresses and prostitutes. The obvious use of cosmetics was frowned upon by respectable women.

It was only in the late 19th century that lipstick made another comeback when it was marketed commercially during the industrial revolution and American actress Sarah Bernhardt started putting on lipstick in public.

By the early 1920s American and British women regarded lipstick as an essential daily requirement. Lipstick became so popular that by the 1960s it was women without lipstick who attracted criticism, often dismissed as lesbians or oddballs.

And of course lipstick has seldom been used by men, unless they're gay or actors - or both. It's seen as a classic indicator of femininity and woe betide any male who gets in on the act. He'll either be scorned or laughed at for such emasculating behaviour.

Well, just imagine if men always wore lipstick and heels. You simply couldn't take them seriously, could you?

19 comments:

Love this post, as I always enjoy a bit of cultural history. It's funny, because I have always worn makeup of some form everyday, but I rarely wear .lipstick. It just looks fake on me, plus I hate having those marks on my water bottle or drinking glass.

Western cowboys always wore high heeled boots to accommodate the stirrup rod! Since they were out in the open most of the time and had chaffed lips they used lard on the lips too. Perhaps they still do for all I know.

i wear lipstick a lot, no always but often. once upon a time i collected all different shades but these days i tend to wear the same one all the time. its a 12 hour, it lasts very very well, hardly needs reapplying. its one of my favourite things.

I'm not a lipstick fan, but I do wear lip gloss when I'm going out or just lip salve if I'm going to be outdoors. I can have lipstick on my lips for all of two minutes before it starts wearing off - too much maintenance for me!

About Me

I've known my partner Jenny for over 35 years. Currently working for a voluntary organisation, I was previously a journalist, bookseller and charity worker. I enjoy the company of my partner and friends but I'm not a wild socialiser. I love walking in the country and just quietly reflecting on life. Disillusioned with living in London, Jenny and I moved to Belfast in 2000. We're still in Belfast and we think it's a fabulous city.